Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Film NaFF 2012: Girl Model Exposes Sleaze in Siberia Tonight
Posted by Sam Smith on Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 7:03 AM
An intriguing subject — the corrupt, creepy process that procures Siberian teenage models for Japanese fashion spreads — leads to this award-worthy piece of documentary journalism. Filmmakers Ashley Sabin and David Redmon follow Nadya, a 13-year-old girl picked out of her picturesque homeland to model for Japanese audiences under uncomfortably shady conditions. The title refers also to former model turned scout Ashley Arbaugh, who selects Nadya and then keeps tabs on her — making for a fascinating study of a complex and ambivalent psychology seemingly shaped by trauma.
When a SXSW screening audience delivered the knee-jerk criticism that the filmmakers didn't intervene in the queasy situations they document, they fired back with a sobering reality check: By making this film at all, the filmmakers put their lives on the line. By film's end, you'll understand why. (Also screens 2:45 p.m. April 25.)
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